Retro 51 x Goldspot Pens Introduce the Coffee Tornado

It's no secret that the Goldspot office has a love affair with coffee. Most mornings, one can smell the first pot being brewed before getting in the door.

So, when we were discussing the design of an exclusive collaboration with Texas-based Retro 1951, we thought an ode to the mighty bean was in order.

Retro 51's Tornado twist-action rollerball pen has rapidly become an iconic writing instrument, with many styles that take on a variety of themes. Cats, zombies, space rockets, baseballs and ugly sweaters were the topics of several recent limited edition Tornadoes. So, why not coffee?

Brewing a Cup of Retro

We approached Retro with a tall (or venti) order. We placed a great deal of trust in their stellar graphics department, who really came through in achieving our vision of a caffeinated Tornado Pen.

The base of the pen's barrel takes its texture and color from the burlap sacks that transport the whole coffee beans. Retro's acid etch technique, combined with a matte finish, achieve this rustic effect.

Icons of coffee beans and espresso cups are imprinted on the textured finish. Coffee terms, written in varying typographic styles, are poured over the beige colored barrel in varying tones of brown. This design will be right at home with your coffee wall decor that may already be adorning your breakfast nook or kitchen.

The antique metal accents, clip and knurled turning mechanism complete the style in a way that is distinctively Retro. An espresso brown disc tops the crown of the pen.

The Ink

The Tornado rollerball includes a short, capless rollerball type refill which has smooth-writing, gel type ink that lasts for some time in a retractable pen. The Tornado pens can also accept Parker-style ballpoint refills, which are available in a wide array of colors, even in gel inks. So, it would be possible to match your Coffee Tornado with a brown or sepia ballpoint cartridge.

Retro x Goldspot Coffee Tornado Packaging (no beans included)

Packaging

As with any special edition Retro pen, the Coffee Tornado received the full treatment with a matching art for the tube packaging. The label has a big mug with the Goldspot logo, along with our website address.

Is It a Limited Edition?

We decided the Coffee Tornado is too good of a pen to limit in number. After all, don't you hate it when the last drop of coffee is gone? We do, too.

So, when this batch of Coffee Tornadoes are sold, we will obtain more. However, our first shipment is limited for the Holidays, and we wouldn't expect the next shipment to arrive until after the New Year. If you're looking to get the Retro 51 Coffee Tornado for yourself or as a gift for Christmas, we would recommend to jump on this as soon as possible so you don't miss out on your hot cup of pen awesomeness.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR RETRO 51 x GOLDSPOT COFFEE TORNADO TODAY

Introducing Noodler's Revolution Blue Ink

In a collaboration between New Jersey-based Goldspot Pens & Noodler's Ink, we proudly present a blue so exceptional, it is "revolutionary." Themed after one of the most crucial battles in the American Revolutionary War that took place on New Jersey soil, Revolution Blue is 3 ounces of fountain pen ink that delivers on performance and color.

The saturated, medium-toned blue ink has a brilliant look on the page. It flows well in both a fine nib and a thick, wet nib like the Neponset music nib. Revolution Blue does have a significant degree of shading and a bit of purplish sheen when using a broader, wetter nib. Click the writing samples below for a larger detail view. The paper is an 80g Rhodia sheet with a custom InkJournal page template printed on it.

Drying time is about 10 seconds with a finer nib and 15+ seconds with the music nib. Once the ink dried, we performed a water droplet test on the scribble swatches and found that Revolution Blue, although may not be completely waterproof, is definitely water-resistant.

UPDATE : After contacting Noodler's to find the performance specifications of the Revolution Blue, it has been stated by the manufacturer that this ink is indeed considered to be Bulletproof, which means that it is UV resistant, fade resistant, forgery resistant, and waterproof. It might have been that in the sample below, I did not allow for enough time for the saturated ink areas to dry before doing the water test and smearing some of the ink around. As you can see in the scribbles at the ends, no smearing is present.

Coincidentally, we received this ink a few weeks before the 238th anniversary of George Washington's pre-dawn crossing of the Delaware on Christmas Day. This blue ought to make an excellent gift for the fountain pen lover on your list... or yourself (we won't tell).

Enter Our July Pen Giveaway

We've decided to host the monthly giveaway here on our blog. Since most of our subscribers are also fans and followers on social media, we wanted to make the giveaway more interactive and exciting for those who are participating. We will still use our newsletter to inform our e-mail subscribers about the giveaway, but we are going to choose our winner differently.

You have (3) possible entries for this giveaway. One is by simply commenting on this blog post. The second and third entries can be obtained via Facebook and Twitter. If you have an account with either social network, simply find our page (details below) and Like or Re-Tweet the giveaway post link. This month's awesome pen giveaway is the Goldspot Exclusive Monteverde Invincia Grand Prix Ballpoint Pen, your choice of color ($95 retail value). We've recently dropped the price on these excellent collectible pens because, to be honest, we have way too much stock and need to clear the shelves for back to school inventory.

Here is How to Enter (no purchase necessary) :

1. Comment on this post (1 Entry / person)
2. Click over to our page on Facebook or Twitter. 
3. Find the link to this giveaway post.  It should be the most recent link.
4. "Like" or Re-Tweet the link (1 Entry per Twitter and/or Facebook Account).

...and that's it! We'll keep track of all the entries and then choose a fan using a random number generator to select one lucky winner. Deadline for Entries is Wednesday, July 23rd at 2p ET.

We will contact the winner directly through either Facebook or Twitter to obtain the shipping information and send out your Monteverde Invincia Grand Prix Ballpen!

Monteverde Invincia Grand Prix Unboxing and Review Video

Last year, we introduced our first limited edition set of Monteverde Pens called the Invincia Grand Prix. The Grand Prix is an exclusive collection of racing-inspired pens available in twist-action ballpen, smooth-writing rollerball and old-fashioned fountain pen with a black stainless steel nib. It only took us a few months, but we've got our dedicated video reviewer Mike Jones to produce a video of his unboxing and review of the Invincia Grand Prix fountain pen in Laguna Seca Blue.

In this video, we review :

• The exclusive Monteverde Invincia Grand Prix white box sleeve.
• The Invincia Pen materials, body shape, nib and design.
• Included Monteverde fountain pen ink cartridges (2 Black, 2 Blue)
• Writing sample text using the supplied black ink cartridge.

Please check it out and feel free to drop a comment to let Mike know what you thought of his video.

Monteverde Invincia Formula Red Carbon Fiber Exclusive Edition

Our second big announcement in the last two weeks is the arrival of our very own, Goldspot Exclusive edition of the Monteverde Invincia. Called Formula Red, this red / black design is inspired by high-octane performance racing and sports cars. Available in twist-action ballpoint, rollerball with cap and fountain pen that is fitted with a black, stainless steel nib in fine, medium or broad widths. The pen is packaged in a deluxe Monteverde gift box, accompanied with the pen refill (fountain pen has package of ink cartridges plus a converter). The outer sleeve is a custom design black and red box that is exclusive only to this series. Above is an extra shot taken from today's impromptu photo shoot. You can expect the same level of high quality that you've come to know from Monteverde. The regular Invincia collection is their runaway best seller and most popular pen offered by the company. The shape is a classic, Italian-inspired design that is well balanced while offering a nice weight in-hand. Our first shipment is in-stock, but very limited. Formula Red Exclusive Edition on sale Carbon Fiber Ballpoint Pen $71.95 Carbon Fiber Rollerball Pen $80.95 Carbon Fiber Fountain Pen $89.95